The Importance Of Roots And Small Details– In Marketing And Life

I came across the above proverb while doing some research involving conservation.

“When you drink the water, remember the spring.” (click
to tweet)

The surface meaning seems clear: Water is a great gift, a vital necessity. We need to be grateful. We also need to protect our ground water and natural resources.

The original Chinese 饮水思源 could also be translated as “think of the source,” or “never forget your roots.”

It’s easy for politicians and other elites to forget their roots, to be become insular, cut off from ordinary people. It can happen to brands, too.

We take a lot for granted: life itself; parents, teachers, and mentors; all the people who’ve gone before us, whose work we’ve built upon (Bill Gates owes a lot to Ed Roberts).

So it’s a good time for me to say thank you to my clients, fans, followers, connections, and loyal blog readers. I owe you a lot– thank you.

As a freelancer, sometimes I’m crazy-busy; other times, anything but.

I’m never quite sure where that next glass of water is coming from, but I do know this: I’m glad to be here, in the arena, even when the glass is empty.

So where does Benny Goodman fit in? Yes, that Benny Goodman, the “King Of Swing,” big band leader, and clarinetist extraordinaire.

Quite by accident, I stumbled over a quote of his:

“Sometimes when you start losing detail, whether it’s in music or in life, something as small as failing to be polite, you start to lose substance.” (click to tweet)

I think it jibes nicely with the proverb: Remember your roots, remember the details– the little things that help you act your best and be your best.

The little things count, sometimes a lot more than the
“big things.” If you haven’t got time to be polite, to respect others– you do lose substance. You become diminished. You also lose friends and customers.

Goodman led one of the first integrated jazz groups. He
said: “If a guy’s got it, let him give it. I’m selling music, not prejudice.”